Luke 9:1-17

Good morning, RTB’ers!

What is the message that Jesus and the twelve are speaking? “And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God…” (v. 2a); “And they began … preaching the gospel…” (v. 6a); “…and He … began speaking to them about the kingdom of God…” (v. 11b). What does Jesus mean by “the kingdom of God”? What is “the gospel”? What is He saying to His 1^st-century listeners and to us? We had a good group discussion last year on this question of Jesus’ message to the crowds. What is your take on this question? What is the kingdom of God? What is the gospel?

Blessings!

Luke 8:40-56

Good morning, RTB’ers!

As I began today’s reading I thought of how familiar this passage is to me. I mean, immediately when I saw Jairus’ name I connected him and his daughter to the woman with the discharge. A daughter twelve years old and a woman with a twelve-year ailment… And I quickly recalled my participation in a number of small groups in the past where we discussed this passage. And the topic that leaps to my mind is impatience. Yes, faith seems to be the topic for today’s reading, but IMPATIENCE has dominated these small group discussions. STS asks you to put yourself into the woman’s place. In those discussion groups, however, we have so often focused on JAIRUS!! Can you imagine how Jairus might have been feeling!!?? “My daughter is ill, near death! Leave this older woman alone and come to my house! PLEASE!!”

Why the focus on Jairus and impatience? Because we’ve all been there: “I have a need. I want it fixed. NOW! Lord, why do You delay? Yes, Lord, ‘Your will be done’, but this thing surely is in Your will. Why the delay? Why not now??!!”

Am I way off the mark here?

Blessings!

Luke 8:22-39

Good morning, RTB’ers!

I’ve encouraged us to read two or more translations each day. Today the ESV says that the boat was filling with water… (v. 23b). The NASB says that they began to be swamped. That’s a more graphic picture. A boat filling is different than a boat being swamped!

In our Avanza time with the Hispanic kids we read Bible stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible. One of our stories is this calming of the storm. But the writer of this story has a different take on it that I had never heard or considered before. As Jesus calms the storm, the author notes that the God Who spoke all things into being simply spoke to the wind and the waves, “Be still”. That is, Jesus was the Master of the wind and the waves and all created things and they knew Him and His voice and they listened to Him and obeyed. They knew Him from Him having created them! Fascinating!! We’ve seen Jesus with power over the supernatural – casting out demons with just a word. Now we see Him with power over all created things! Fascinating!! Let that sink in! What a Glorious God we serve!

Many days ago I mentioned that a Roman legion was comprised of soldiers under 60 centurions. That means that a Roman legion had some 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers. When the demon responded to Jesus asking him his name, he said “Legion”, Did he mean that 5,000 to 6,000 demons had entered his body? Or maybe just many demons…? What is your interpretation? (It’s a lot!)

Blessings!

Luke 8:4-21

Good afternoon, RTB’ers!

After a long day of travel that began at 4:00 am this morning, Carol and I are somewhat settled in for the week. My sincere apologies for such a delayed post, but sometimes it can’t be helped. I read our passage much earlier today, but only now have a chance to post a comment.

Many of us have heard sermons on Jesus’ parable of the sower sowing his seeds and the different types of soil on which the seed landed. And we’ve probably asked ourselves which seed were we? Or maybe, we’ve asked ourselves which seed were we at different times in our lives? But I came up with a new “seed landing” outcome, one that I thought might apply to me. What about seed that landed on good soil, maybe seed that was not well watered but, for whatever reason, took a long time to germinate. That was me! I had good, solid Catholic faith roots, but it was not an active faith. Only during my college years, after 3-1/2 years of a young man (Jim) sharing with me did I make that decision to turn my life over to Jesus. That seed that had lain fallow for so long did, in fact, germinate. It took off with a mighty growth that continues to this day.

Maybe that seed in you is only now beginning to germinate? If so, let’s hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will work in you to grow that faith much more even than the hundred-fold in Jesus’ parable!!

Blessings!

Luke 7:36-8:3

Good morning, RTB’ers!

Today begins a week+ of travel for Carol and me, so my regular morning posts may be a little off.

I asked you a few days ago that it’s a good practice for us to “put ourselves into the story”. Today there are two main actors, the Pharisee and the woman. (NOTE: I never put myself into Jesus’ place!) Putting yourself into either of those characters will open up the meaning of this incident for us. I encourage you to close your computer, your phone, your book and do just that. Close your eyes and just for a few minutes become one of those two people.

Blessings!

Luke 7:18-35

Good morning, RTB’ers!

John the Baptist, again. An item concerning John the Baptist… In a sermon not long ago (correct me if I’m wrong) I recall that Ben referred to John the Baptist as “John the Baptizer”. And Ben’s different title for John is not the first time that I’ve heard John the Baptist referred to as “the Baptizer”. So, what’s your take on this change? Is this a denominational thing, other Christian denominations not wanting to give the Baptists an edge in their ministry? It’s true that the Baptists have a major concern with baptisms, as a personal witness of a new believer’s commitment to Jesus. So, John was baptizing, the Baptists are baptizing, so appropriately, John the Baptist? (I’m playing a bit here. 😊)

Jesus asking the people, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” (v. 24b) “What then did you go out to see?” (v. 25a) “What then did you go out to see?” (v. 26a) Jesus then answered, “A reed shaken by the wind… A man dressed in soft clothing…” (vv. 24b, 25b)

Jesus asking us, “What did you come to St. Andrew’s to see? Music that fits your style…? What then did you come to St. Andrew’s to see? A dynamic, eloquent preacher…? What then did you come to St. Andrew’s to see? Coffee hour and fellowship with your friends…?” What did we come to St. Andrew’s to see? Why St. Andrew’s?

Blessings!

Luke 7:1-17

Good morning, RTB’ers!

A couple of days ago we saw the scribes and Pharisees challenging Jesus. Today we see a different Synagogue group, “elders of the Jews” (v. 3) who were members of the Synagogue (v. 5), but clearly not a group wanting to challenge Jesus. Instead, they come to Him with a request from a local centurion, seeking healing from Jesus. What a contrast between these elders and the previous scribes and Pharisees! NOTE: In Matthew’s gospel the centurion himself comes directly to Jesus and makes his request. (Matthew 8:5-13)

When I was growing up with my Catholic roots the centurion’s words were turned into a Communion song:

O Lord, I am not worthy
That Thou should’st come to me,
But speak the words of comfort,
My spirit healed shall be.

O Lord, Thou are all holy,
The angels Thee adore.
How ought I then sincerely
My wrongs and sins deplore.

And humbly I’ll receive Thee,
The bridegroom of my soul,
No more my sin to grieve Thee,
Nor fly Thy sweet control.

I may not be exact on the words and I believe that there are more verses, but memory fails me and the Internet only gave me some modern renditions of this song.

There are two other cases in the gospels where Jesus raises someone from the dead. What are they? Go and find them and look at contrasts between those incidents and what Luke reports in today’s reading.

Blessings!

Luke 6:37-49

Good morning, RTB’ers!

Continuing Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain”. Mathew’s “Sermon on the Mount” is three chapters long – Mt. 5-7. Here, in Luke we have Jesus speaking only twenty verses (Luke 6:20-39). However, Luke has more of what Matthew includes in other passages. (See Luke 11:2-4; 12:22-31, 33-34). The suggestion is that Jesus spoke this message or parts thereof in many locations during His ministry.

Jesus’ words on judgment and condemnation are personal to me; I have long had a problem with judging others. Part of that is probably due to my many years in the classroom – more specifically grading papers and exams and assigning grades. Judgment is absolutely necessary there! But that teaching profession is less about judging and more about lifting all students to know more and to be better citizens. Humility is a lot more effective in the classroom than arrogance! Likewise, when a judgmental situation arises in my head, more often I’ve learned to pray for that person or situation instead of letting judgment reign. And I honestly feel a real sense of relief when I do that.

Blessings!

Luke 6:12-36 

Good morning, RTB’ers!

Jesus choosing the twelve; the “Sermon on the Mount/Plain”. My Study Bible suggested a plateau in the hills, which would satisfy both the “mount” in Matthew and the “level place” in Luke (Matthew 5:1, Luke 6:17).

Thus far in Luke we have seen Jesus calling Peter and Andrew, James and John, and Levi/Matthew. Then in John 1 we also know of Jesus choosing Philip and Nathanael. Now we see Jesus choosing another five apostles from among the crowd of disciples gathered around Him, including Judas Iscariot. This Judas (the traitor) was the only apostle who was not a Galilean; presumably he was one of the hundreds of Jesus’ followers who had come far north from Judea to see and “to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases” (v. 18).

Today’s second STS question has a sentence beginning, “Putting yourself in the place of the disciples…”. I have often asked this question of readers in previous RTB years. It’s a good exercise, to “put yourself into the story”, into whatever person you choose to be. Today you could be one of those seven whom we know were earlier explicitly chosen by Jesus; or you could be one of the five newly chosen (were you surprised at Jesus naming you?); or you could be just “one of the crowd”, either a local or an Israelite from Jerusalem/Judea: or you could have been one of those Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon, some 30-50 miles to the northwest from Capernaum (v. 17). So, choose one!

It’s scary for me (us) when I see myself (ourselves) as rich, full, happy, “honored” (vv. 24-25), when I read of woes heaped upon me (us). Am I doing something wrong? Am I running with the wrong crowd? Help me, Lord to understand who You want me to be!

Blessings!

Luke 5:27-6:11

Good morning, RTB’ers!

Calling Levi/Matthew; clashes with the scribes and the Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees speaking: “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”(5:30b); “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” (5:33); “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”(6:2); and Now the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. (6:7). Our first question in STS refers to the scribes and the Pharisees and their opposition to Jesus. It is interesting to put their objections together, seeing only their comments and behaviors and leaving out Jesus’ responses. I mentioned yesterday that the scribes and Pharisees had good reason to search Jesus out – they didn’t want the people to be following a false Messiah. But they go overboard with their challenges. BTW, God gave the Ten Commandments and other rules and regulations to the Israelites back in Exodus and Leviticus, but the scribes and Pharisees had their own interpretations of these various laws and imposed their interpretations on their followers.

In Luke 6:4 where Jesus speaks of David and his men eating the “bread of the Presence” (or “consecrated bread” in the NASB), He is referring back to an incident in I Samuel 21:1-6, where David is fleeing from Saul. Jesus acknowledges that the act of David and his men eating the consecrated bread was “not lawful”, yet they did it anyway and Jesus seems to side with them. How do you feel about that?

Blessings!